The Girl From District 9
by AnotherCartoonFan
Summary: Maize Barlle is sixteen years old. She has two loving parents and a naive younger brother. The Reaping has come, and her name has been entered a meager five times. She's just a poor harvester-in-training, so how can she possibly survive the 74th Annual Hunger Games? Easy, she'll just have to use her head (and maybe a knife or two) for that to happen. Join Maize in the Hunger Games!
1. Prolouge

Chills snuck their way down my spine, waking my tired body from slumber. I dug my face deeper into the thin pillow that rested atop my uncomfortable mattress. Soon enough I dragged myself out of bed, groggy as I looked out our small window. Dawn was breaking, soft reds, pinks, and deep oranges illuminating the puffy clouds in the distance. It would have been an extremely beautiful sight, had it not been for what day it was the dreaded Reaping day. The day we all would celebrate another year of life except for two unlucky families, who would be anything but celebratory. And they had reasons for not being so lively; their children, sibling, or even lover would be dead in a few days.  
As quietly as I could, I slipped on a black t-shirt and pants, lacing up my mottled leather boots loosely. I had to walk around my bed carefully, as to not wake my brother. I crept over to his small bed and kissed his cheek lightly, pushing a strand of wheat colored hair out of his innocent face. On my way out I also passed my parents, snuggling cozily on the floor, wrapped in two or three blankets. They must have fallen asleep by the fire last night, I reminded myself. They had been talking about Noah, who only had five years until his name would be in the drawing. I tried to imagine my sweet little brother running from a Career, being stabbed or slashed, or dying from thirst. Tears almost escaped my eyes, but I pushed the thoughts from my head as I walked out of out shabby, mud-brown hovel.  
I walked and walked until I came to the main Plaza, where the Reapings would be held. some older looking men were cleaning up the place, so I ducked out of there before they could notice me. All I could do as I waited for the event was hope and pray that nobody I knew would be picked by those disgusting people from the Capitol. Looking up to the brightly lit sky, I realized that my parents would be waking soon and hurried back to my home in this run-down District. Truly though, the sky was amazing. Even if its timing was so horribly off.  
When I got back to my house I saw that my parents both were awake, but I could not say the same for Noah. Finally, father just scooped the boy up in his burly arms. "Daddy?" Noah asked, yawning as father stood him on the floor. He brought his thumb up to his mouth automatically, sucking on it like it was his only way to survive. Mother smiled sympathetically at us, and spoke up in a weary voice, "Well let's get you two ready for today. She was only 46 years old, but on days like this she looks at least ten years older, mainly because of how much she worries about me on the day of The Reaping. She had reason to though. My name was in there at least five times this year. But there are hundreds of kids in this District, so I doubted that I would ever get picked with only five entries.

_  
Well, that was the first chapter of The Girl From District 9! This is my first Hunger Games fanfiction, so if you have any advice for me, just say it. I don't own the Hunger Games, but I do own my characters. This will _**NOT**_ be an SYOT fic, so don't even try it, please. Thank you, people of the internet! Don't forget to Rate and Review :D!


	2. The Reaping: Farewell for Good Friends

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while! School is heck now! -.- Anyway, enjoy the story! 

Mother drew our baths and helped Noah scrub the dirt and grime from his skin. I just sunk down into the lukewarm water, massaging the kinks from my neck and back. The worse part about the bath was having to pull through the thick tendrils of my tangled hair. Noah was out of his bath first, father drying him with a threadbare towel. After I was done in the bath, I grabbed my towel, which was only slightly less worn than the former. When I was dry, I walked to the tiny room that me and Noah shared, seeing mother on the edge of my bed. She was holding a fading mint-green dress with very short sleeves and a tied belt around the waist. "Oh my... mother, I don't- it's beautiful, but how did you afford it?" She smiled, standing up with the soft fabric in her arms. "I didn't. This is what your grandmother gave me for The Reaping when I was 16. Now it's yours Maize." A tear rolled down her face and I wiped it away with my thumb, my own eyes watering. "Mom, no matter what happens today, I love you. All of you; father, Noah, and everyone else." She embraced me tightly, almost so much so that I couldn't breathe. As she left the room, I could hear her petite voice muttering, "I love you."  
"Aww... Noah, you look so adorable~" I squealed, seeing my little brother in his dark brown slacks, his pristine white dress shirt tucked in. The ensemble was still quite large on him, as we had to tie a piece of twine around his waist to keep them from falling. The dress felt lovely on my clean skin, so smooth and creamy was the pale mint fabric. It fit just right; not too loose, yet not too tight. The lining of it was rabbit-fur soft and when I moved, the folds of the stuff billowed in every which way. The effect was very graceful indeed, especially with my hair done up in a braided style which wrapped around my head like a halo. Noah's hair was very simple, albeit classy, with it modestly combed to the side. We left an hour before The Reaping, which would be held in the Main Plaza at eight o-clock. I just hoped that the apprehension I felt was the usual kind that every kid got before this day.  
When we arrived at 7:30, we signed in, the Capitol's way of keeping track of the populace. I was led to a roped off area with the other sixteen year old girls, the boys just beyond us. Some cried, some grimaced, some sat on the ground trying not to be noticed, but only one greeted me. "Hey Maize. I like your dress; it's just, stunning..." my friend Sativa said monotonously. She had a far-away look in her stormy blue eyes. "I wonder how Quinn is holding up..." Of course, it was Quinn causing the look of longing in her features. Quinn and her had been an item for some time now, so it didn't surprise me.  
The air was thick and tense with anxiety. But I just stood, cool and collected as the mayor, our Capitol escort, and two of the three victors from this District filed neatly onto the temporary stage. The cameras on rooftops trained in on them, watching intently as our mayor stood up, fixed his red tie, and began to speak. "Welcome to the annual Reaping, District 9..." he gulped, continuing on. He then explained the lengthy history of Panem, The Dark Days, and The Hunger Games. I won't bore you with the details since it is the same exact story every year, and most of you probably know it already. Lastly, he introduced The escort for District 9, Maximus Ekstasys.  
This year, the eccentric man wore a poofy white blouse that was bedazzled here-and-there with blue gems. He also wore sequined trousers of the same blinding blue, sparkling silver boots, gold bangles covering his wrists, and a tight-looking silvery band around his neck. Maximus's bleach-blonde hair was gelled straight up with sprays of blue in the back. He looked like he should have been in a circus, with his powder white face and gleaming silver tattoos that went down his neck. _Ridiculous_.  
"What's up District 9! Happy Hunger Games to all, and may the odds be especially in your favor!" he shouted excitedly and winked, Capitol accent twinging his words unnaturally. They were disgusting, the lot of them. Watching as we sent children to fight to the death for their _amusement_. It was sick and twisted that they made us celebrate such a horrid occasion, even if it was 'punishment for the rebellion'. The whole ordeal made my blood boil, that those rich idiots made us suffer for trying to gain freedom. It disgusted me, just like the Capitol people themselves.  
"It's such a great honor to be your escort, but I can't keep going on about your amazingness; the Games must start eventually~!" Maximus chuckled in a childlike manner. He was much too perky and bright, but like all the others, he was probably just another one of the Capitol's useless pawns. He walked energetically to the giant glass bowls on the opposite side of the stage. Going to the one with the boy's names first he covered his eyes with one hand, grinned, and pulled out one of the thousands of paper slips. Once unfolded, his grin became even wider- almost like a Cheshire cat was his quirky smile. We all grimaced as the name was read, knowing the fifteen-year-old all too well.  
"_Quinton Noas! What a lucky guy~!_" Maximus sang in a very annoying way. The crown parted, revealing Quinn. He was completely bawling, his usually tan skin a deathly white. His wheat colored hair stuck up when he pulled his hands through it to calm himself. Stepping out into the large pathway to the stage, he bolted. Just not in the direction of the irritating Capitol man and the mayor.  
"What does he think he's doing?! He could get killed! The Peacekeepers are going to get him!" Sativa shouted, tears now pouring out. But I knew why he did it... Because they can't cut out something from the televisions if it's live. _Might as well go out with a bang if you're going out anyway_. But his effort was in vain, for a muscular looking guard rushed forward and knocked his frail body to the ground with an audible thump. Two more of the uniformed guards calmly marched forward and took Quinn by his arms, dragging his twitching form up on the stage. The Peacekeepers stayed off to the side though, just in case Quinn tried to escape again. Regretfully, he stood up, spitting in the direction of Maximus (who looked completely disgusted by his show).  
I stood quietly, cheeks becoming slightly wet from the bitter tears. Looking to my right, I saw Sativa, kneeling on the ground and sobbing. "Q-Quinn... Why did it have to, to be y-you." she stuttered through tears. I had no idea the pain she must have been going through. She absolutely loved him. Once Quinn had risen from the smooth surface of the stage, Maximus patted him on the back. His breaths came in ragged heaves, and his left eye was already swelling. After the Capitol escort had finished wiping off the hand that touched Quinn, he strutted over to the orb with the girl's names with an anxious expression upon his face.  
As he reached his pale hand into the bowl, we all took in a deep breath of air holding it until he read the name. I was the only one that couldn't take in another breath though, mainly because I thought that you didn't have to breathe in dreams.  
_ "Maize Lee Barlle! Where's the lucky gal!"_  
My muscles tensed immediately, wondering what kind of sick joke this was. But it wasn't a joke, not a dream, but pure, harsh reality. His smile dropped when I didn't pipe up and run to the stage like a child to his mother's arms. I couldn't if I wanted to though; I was practically glued to the ground, paralyzed, frozen in time. But despite my false immobility, the crowds parted like the Red Sea, and I was forced to walk. Thousands of eyes were directed at me, and I knew that this was being broadcasted all over Panem. In the back of my mind I heard a slight voice, though it was most likely screaming in reality. "STOP! I-I volunteer! A-as tribute!" Sativa ran forward, grasping my wrist as I began to step up the few stairs to the top of the platform. I looked back at her, pity in my friendly gaze. "Not happening, Sativa. I'm not going to let you die like this. I've already decided this. "  
She had a daring look in her azure eyes at that moment, like I had sparked a fire in her spirit with just a few words. "Give those Careers hell." she whispered, "and the Gamemakers, too." She quickly ran back to her spot, most of the tears dry and a newly rekindled spirit. Maximus looked at me in awe once I had climbed up the small staircase, stars in his unnaturally gold eyes. "That was truly amazing Maize! I don't think anyone has ever denied a volunteer in the history of The Games! Especially in District 9!" He winked, animatedly motioning with his arms as he spoke. I didn't care about what that idiot had to say though, I only cared about my family and the toll that my absence would take on them.  
As expected, they looked devastated. Mother had he faced pressed into father's long sleeve, clutching him earnestly. Noah was up on father's shoulders, sobbing quietly with a straight but wavering face. Father's features only showed grief, hard etched features pale and stoic. I clenched my fists tightly, making the knuckles go whiter than they already were. Maximus showed no signs of sadness though. It was all joy and luxury where he was from. They celebrated this. They created this. The absolutely unreasonable, unfair, and sick Hunger Games. 'Punishment' for the 'wrongs' we committed during the Dark Days. Yes, this was happening.

I really like how this chapter turned out! But my opinion doesn't matter, yours does! Comment if you want, Favorite if you want, Follow if you want. I'm not in it for the fame, I just want my stories out there. :D . I only own my characters, head canons, and whatever belongs to me. The Hunger Games and all of its original characters are owned by Suzanne Collins, as are her amazing ideas...  
Sorry for the first chapter being so short, but I think I made up for it with this chapter! Bye, peoples! I 3 my readers and so does Suzanne Collins, I believe!


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